Texas-Sized Dreams for USA's Courtney Whittaker at Brogden Cup
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© 2025 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2025 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
SPARKS, Md. – The honor of representing your country in international competition is something every USA athlete takes pride in, but for Courtney Whittaker, she's also representing something else – her home state of Texas.
Whittaker is competing with the U.S. Girls’ U19 Youth National Team during this weekend’s Brogden Cup at USA Lacrosse headquarters, a dream come true that’s a result of effort.
“It’s very rare that someone from Texas gets the opportunity to do this, so it really meant something special to me to be able to just represent my hometown, where lacrosse really isn’t big,” Whittaker said. “I think this is very valuable to just growing the sport.”
Whittaker is the only player from Texas on this year’s girls’ U.S. Youth National Teams and the first player from Texas named to one of the girls’ teams since 2022 as part of the USA Lacrosse National Team Development Program.
She didn’t come by this opportunity easily. Whittaker was invited to the National Combine in both 2023 and 2024 before finally breaking through to make the national team this time around.
“I just remember practicing and being ‘Oh my gosh, I could actually make this one year,'” Whittaker said. “Just going out on the field every day with my team and stuff, I kept thinking about it. Just working towards this goal – it just meant so much to be able to represent Texas here.”
“We ask at the end of combine every year for players to come back and she’s a testament to hard work and determination,” said USA U19 coach Lauren Skellchock. “I feel like those are the players that we want to see and move on through this system. Kudos to her for never giving up and she earned it – she earned the right to be a part of this.”
Getting the notification that she would get to wear the red, white and blue was extra special.
“Honestly, I think I started crying,” Whittaker said. “I was so happy. I had the biggest smile on my face – it was just the biggest honor ever.”
On Saturday, she scored a goal as the USA U19 team moved to a perfect 3-0 for the tournament with a 14-1 win over Team Ontario. But it’s the little things that she does that stand out to Skellchock – like sprinting to the endline to keep possession for her team after a teammate's shot, even in a game that had long been decided.
Whittaker is not done working. She’s got one more year at the Kinkaid School in Houston after earning USA Lacrosse All-America honors this past spring as the team went 13-4 and reached the state playoffs. In addition to team goals, she welcomes the work ahead of her.
“I really want to get myself ready to play in college and represent Texas on the next level,” Whittaker said.
The next level will be at Denver, where she committed in 2024. She’ll find plenty of international lacrosse connections there. Denver head coach Liza Kelly, who led the Pioneers to the NCAA final four in 2023, played in the U.S. team system two decades ago. Associate head coach Taylor VanThof won a gold medal with the U.S. women’s box team in 2024 and assistant coach Lauren Spence is currently Canada’s national team goalie.
“The program that they’re building there is so incredible,” Whittaker said. “The team is so close and the culture of Denver just really drew me in.”
The Haudenosaunee Nationals continued to pay tribute to Noah Snyder at this weekend’s Brogden Cup. Snyder died in a car accident earlier this fall in Milwaukee where he was a player on the Marquette men’s lacrosse team.
The Haudenosaunee boys’ and girls’ teams uniforms both had a graphic with Snyder’s uniform number, 43, surrounded by wings. A moment of silence was held during opening ceremonies for the Brogden Cup, an event in which Snyder had played for both the Haudenosaunee (2021) and USA (2023) teams in the past.
More recently, Snyder played for the Haudenosaunee Nationals at the 2025 World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship on Jeju Island, Korea. Shortly before his passing, Snyder had learned that he had been selected to play with the Haudenosaunee sixes team at the Atlas Cup at USA Lacrosse in September. His stepfather, former Virginia star and professional lacrosse player Zed Williams, served as an assistant coach for the Haudenosaunee Nationals at the Atlas Cup.
Kohen Schindler, Haudenosaunee: A familiar name in Haudenosaunee lacrosse circles, Schindler came up big with the game-winner with just one second left as the Haudenosaunee U17 girls edged Ontario 9-8 on Saturday morning. Schindler’s father, Gewas, has represented the Haudenosaunee Nationals in world championships seven times and was an All-American at Loyola before playing professionally in the MLL and PLL. Kohen's older sister, Kimaura, plays at UAlbany and played for the Haudenosaunee at the World Lacrosse U20 championship in 2024.
Mackenzie Holmes, Ontario: Holmes helped Team Ontario to its first win of the Brogden Cup as the U19 girls nipped the Haudenosaunee Nationals 11-10 in overtime. Holmes scored two goals in the fourth quarter and then netted the overtime tally to give Ontario the win.
Shea Shoulberg, United States: The Notre Dame commit continued her torrid scoring pace at the Brogden Cup with two goals and six assists in a 22-4 victory for the USA U17 girls over the Haudenosaunee Nationals. Shoulberg has seven goals and 13 assists in three games.
Isabel Insley, United States: The Princeton-bound scoring machine had a first-half hat trick in helping the USA U19 girls to a 14-1 victory over Ontario. Insley has 11 goals in her first three games of the Brogden Cup.
Tristan Marshall, Ontario: The Class of 2027 goalie made 13 saves to lead Ontario to an 8-5 victory over the Haudenosaunee in boys’ U17 action on Saturday.
Harrison Tyler, United States: A California native now playing at the Lawrenceville School (N.J.), the Class of 2028 attacker had a pair of goals during a 7-0 run to open the game in the USA’s U17 boys’ team’s 10-3 victory over Ontario. Tyler also combined for five goals in Friday’s two victories, including a hat trick against the Haudenosaunee Nationals.
Mac Clancey, United States: The attackman opening the scoring and finished with a hat trick as the USA U19 boys beat Ontario 9-1. Clancey, from New Jersey, is headed to Franklin & Marshall.
Featuring U17 and U19 boys’ and girls’ teams from the Haudenosaunee Nationals, Team Ontario and the United States, the Brogden Cup uses a Ryder Cup-style scoring system to determine the tournament champion. Each win nets one point for participating programs.
Saturday Scores
U17G: Haudenosaunee 9, Ontario 8
U19G: Ontario 11, Haudenosaunee 10 (OT)
U17G: USA 22, Haudenosaunee 4
U19G: USA 14, Ontario 4
U17B: Ontario 8, Haudenosaunee 5
U19B: Haudenosaunee 13, Ontario 2
U17B: USA 10, Ontario 3
U19B: USA 9, Ontario 1
Points (Record)
USA 12 (12-0)
Haudenosaunee 4 (4-7)
Ontario 2 (2-11)
Sunday, Oct. 26 (all times Eastern)
8 a.m.: Haudenosaunee vs. USA (U19G)
8:45 a.m.: Haudenosaunee vs. Ontario (U19B) – non-counting game for Brogden Cup standings
9:30 a.m.: Ontario vs. USA (U17G)
10:15 a.m.: Ontario vs. Haudenosaunee (U17B)
11 a.m.: Ontario vs. Haudenosaunee (U19G)
11:45 a.m.: USA vs. Haudenosaunee (U17B)
12:30 p.m.: USA vs. Haudenosaunee (U19 B)
Brian Logue has worked at USA Lacrosse since 2000 and is currently the senior director of communications. He saw his first lacrosse game in 1987 - Virginia at Delaware - and fell in love with the sport while working at Washington and Lee University.
